Pieces of Life
by Waena2011
Summary: Naruto in modern day world. Underground organizations and the like. Naruto x HANABI
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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**Chapter 1: GREEN Envelopes**

As he glared furiously at the GREEN envelope at hand, he imagined flaring flames, flowers, and saw the tears of a dream. Through the tears emerged a scorching flower field with infectious fires that were high enough to reach and paint the sky dusky red, wide enough to leave no spot unscathed. The tears could not possibly contain the fires.

He decided he needed time to mentally prepare himself, while knowing his worst fears came true. So he opted to toss the envelope across the room, perfectly landing the piece of surprise that ruined his morning on the wooden kitchen table. He had woken up to the soft rays of the sun shining through the window on his face. It was the first indication of an awful day to come. When there was something good happening to him, there was always the bad to accompany it.

Then he had decided to check his mail, landing him in the above situation. It didn't take a genius to figure out that normal envelopes are never…green. Unless surprises were involved of course.

Casting a final glance at the envelope, he walked quickly from the kitchen to his bedroom, bending over only to grab an orange T-shirt and a pair of loose black pants from the messy floor, and then he proceeds to the bathroom, slamming the door loudly behind him. Within ten short minutes, he reemerged fully dressed, and headed to the kitchen once again, planting himself in a chair right in front of object he had taken the liberty of tossing earlier.

Over the years he has gotten _slightly _quicker to figuring things out and the green envelope was just one of them. He sensed the arrival of trouble since he had only received a green envelope for that one time when Guy-sensei was getting…_married_. He shuddered at the thought, because, what woman in their sane mind would- oh. Well, there is the answer. The woman must be crazy; he just cannot think of another reason, well, that and because he didn't want to rack up his brain just to explain some of the things you can't explain in life. But he had to say, the wedding card was one of the best surprises he had gotten. It made him glad to know that his youthful friend will be able to find a marriage partner in the future.

Briefly smiling to himself, he turns back to the envelope, and he had no doubt it was from Lee. He was pretty sure he had a pretty good idea about what was inside, if gossiping ladies were anything to contribute to that. Sighing heavily, he slips a nearby knife under the envelope seal, revealing an intricately embroidered PINK card.

That was it, that was all he needed before he bolted for the door, flinging the unread card without care for where it landed.

"Damn! Damn it all to hell!" he screamed as he walks quickly out of his modest apartment on the seventh floor. He hated his life at this moment. He had never been as low on self-esteem as now. While entering the elevator and waiting for it to close, another person has joined him. A woman at that, since he heard the clicking of heels. He looked up from his moment of depression before he registered the face of his neighbor.

"Hi, morning! In a hurry? I want to point out you are not wearing any shoes."

He grumbles a quiet 'morning' before turning away from his neighbor, ignoring her comment.

"So… have you received Lee's _wedding_ invitation?"

Growling under his breath, he turned abruptly to his neighbor, meeting with attractive baby blue eyes. She was dressed in a tight blue dress with black straps not nearly enough to cover anything, not that he minded. At this point, he could care less about what others thought of him, so he swiftly lifted his hand before pointing his middle finger at her. On cue, the elevator door opened and he rushed out, leaving a baffled lady.

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**His POV**

Going into a nearby boutique and ignoring all greetings and suggestive looks from the female employees, I dialed the one number I knew well. Pressing '9' three times, I waited distractedly while trying to keep my brows from being knitted together in frustration.

A nearby female worker interrupted my thoughts, asking if I was okay. She should really be glad I don't hit women; I do my best to give them a swift ending. As I was about to tell her off, a sweet girlish voice over phone cut me off. Savoring momentarily about how a voice could be so sweet, yet soft and loud at the same time, I didn't process what she had said until she repeated.

"Hello? Konoha's own absolutely awesome Police Headquarters at your service, line 2, how may I h-"

What is wrong with her? Did she have a death wish? Ignoring what she said, I demanded, "Get me Sas-"

" GYAAA!"

Then all I heard was the slamming of the phone and the steady beeping of being hung up on. Bitch. That was definitely not a fan girl scream. Wait, wait, WAIT a minute! When did Konoha's Police Headquarters allow _girls_ in the normal department? Has Sasuke became lenient? When he took over last year he specifically limited the number of mature, non-annoying _woman_ (over 18) that could be admitted each year. Should I be amused that at least the girl had a sense of humor?

Never mind that, I would have to pay a visit to my freakin' great-grandfather if I went back. Can't a man get anything at Konoha without returning to the Headquarters? Should I bring guns? Paying a visit to Konoha Headquarters, which was located underground, was not an option for me. Going there would also mean seeing my grandpa, and seeing my grandpa means handing in my nonexistent Chapter 4 draft. I wouldn't mind seeing my great-grandfather, but I don't particularly enjoy seeing my grandpa, because he made an awful condition in the agreement contract to let me live outside of Headquarters.

Calling Sasuke's cell phone would not help considering he never picked up when _someone_ called. Too bad he didn't answer phone calls with unknown caller ID's either.

He was probably not at Konoha College, I know the both of us are only there 3 out of 10 days.

Wanting to try my luck today, I know Sasuke might pick up his cell phone just to laugh at me. No, Uchiha Sasuke does not laugh, he taunts. Not wanting that, I could always call Neji, he definitely wouldn't mind lending me money. Making up my mind, I rushed back home, and not knowing where I put my cell phone, I dialed my cell phone number on my home phone. Hearing a familiar ring tone from beneath the bed, I placed my home phone back in place before heading over to find my phone in the heap of clothes lying next to the bed. Seeing a familiar orange cell phone in one of the pockets of my pants, I gladly picked it up.

Pressing speed dial number 3, I waited impatiently as a deep voice with a hint of amusement in it picked up.

"Naruto, congratulations. I am hereby to give you this message from Sasuke, 'You have been officially recognized as the most pitiful man in Konoha Underground and above ground. Any comments? I won't buy you a plane ticket if that is what you are asking for. Face reality. Try Itachi, he is most amused by your predicament.' And so am I, take his advice. I am actually not in a position to help you right now. Sasuke went mountain climbing if that is what you are wondering about. Good luck."

"Wai-" Before he finished what he has to say, Neji was already gone. Damn, how did both of them know what I was going to ask? More importantly, Sasuke's message showed that the news of my 'incompetence' was already widespread and a matter of gossip among people who knew of the name Namikaze. It is a big blow to my mind, my pride, and my reputation. The whole underground organization of Konoha knew how big of a loser I am now. What would someone from the underground do to redeem themselves? That includes not resorting to murder, that will further damage my already beyond-repair reputation. The only thing I could do to salvage my pride was, as Sasuke had said, face reality. Pfft, as if.

I guess I could call Itachi, he does give good advice. Just when I was about to press speed dial 6. The device started ringing, the screen lighting up, revealing 'Teme' as the caller ID. I had a premonition that something bad must be happening, considering he never calls me. Swallowing the lump that had formed in my mouth unconsciously, I answered the phone in a solemn tone, "What's wrong?"

"Don't go back to Kono-"

The sound of gunshots cut him off, and I can hear him taking deep breaths and swearing under his breath. Although the wind from his side made hearing difficult, the sound of a helicopter was unmistakable. Assuming the 'ka-chak' sound was Sasuke reloading his gun and the increased swishing of the wind against the phone was Sasuke moving, I believe he is having a fight while… mountaineering. My suspicions are confirmed a moment later.

"Shit! I can't fucking descend or else-" More swishing and a louder-than-welcomed gunshot passed near the phone, Sasuke must have dodged a close one. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a few more helicopters. What is going on? It sounded like chaos there.

"Sasuk- Fuck! Who?"

"**Don't go back**," he warned venomously, "What the f-"

That was the last thing I heard before the sound of an explosion came and the line was cut.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

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**Chapter 2: Hooray for Hot Bosses**

Hyuuga Neji, as the soon-to-be leader of the infamous Hyuuga clan, was expected to be up early and in office, weekly, by eight A.M., and he tend to be exact. As he was not heir, it made him work all the harder to show that he is indeed worthy of the title.

He was actually enjoying his sleep, until his honed instincts told him there were intruders in his room. Forcing his eyes open, he glanced about in semi-darkness while still lying down, trying to pinpoint the intruders before he made his move. Judging from the level of light in his room, he figured it was around six in the morning. It was unusually quiet, until he heard the clashing of stones against a hard surface. He knew that the only surface in his room that could make such a sound was his black and white marbled coffee table. From his four-poster bed, however, he could not see them due to the high footboard.

Grimacing, he mentally noted to switch his bed before he quietly dragged his hand under his pillow, satisfied when his fingers came into contact with a cold object. Gripping it firmly, he slowly slid it out, not without noticing that it was slightly heavier than usual. That was when he realized a cable lock had been put on it.

The white symbol of the Hyuuga Clan on the lock shone out firmly even in the darkness. His face turned from surprised to un-amused. Neji purposely flipped his quilt off exaggeratingly, alerting the intruders and satisfied when he felt their gaze on him, before stomping elegantly to his coffee table, while feeling the cool air of the past-night hitting his now exposed feet. He was mildly thankful for installing carpets in his room but quickly retracted his thoughts when he realized it being one of the contributing factors to the intruder's stealth.

"**Uncle,**" he grounded out angrily, "and Guy-**sensei.**" He stared at the marbled coffee table and saw that they had drawn on it to play their game of Go, probably his sensei's idea, seeing it didn't match with his uncle's personality. Neji mentally slapped himself for not getting a quieter table.

Guy looked at him thoughtfully before he finally spoke, "Ooh Neji! Glad you_ finally _decided to join us, but don't worry, we were _only_ here- oh I don't know- for **seven** minutes."

Neji was not one to miss the intentional emphasis on several words, and he quickly realized in horror how dull his once prodigious instincts have become.

Hyuuga Hiashi gracefully stood, signaling his departure, but not before he bluntly comments on Neji's less-than-impressive response to his surprise, "I am deeply disappointed in you, Neji. Although I was the one who prohibited your further activity in any missions, do take care to add physical training as part of your schedule. You should also have noticed the cable lock on your gun before you slept. You have become lax, and I do not want to see a repeat of this."

'_More of this…?_' He kept his face straight without a trace of emotions before giving a firm and brief, "Yes, Uncle."

Hiashi placed his hand in the sleeves of his signature Hyuuga family robe before walking out at a snail's pace. Guy followed along, but turned back to give Neji a pat on the head, which was made more awkward due to Neji's win in height over his combat-teacher. Hearing the gentle shut of the door, Neji lifted his poker face immediately and replaced it with a scowl. He learned to show his emotions at least to himself instead of bottling it up, or else he'd get serious depression.

Walking back to his bed, he plopped himself down, lifting his feet up his bed and under his quilt. Right now, he was a normal human who needed sleep, so he tucked his uncle's warning to the back of his mind and fell onto his four-poster bed that will be gone by the end of the day.

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**7:58 A.M. AT HYUUGA CORP.**

As usual, employees assembled in their respective places inside the tall glass building, notably the first floor, the lounge; and the 16th floor. Excitement filled the air, especially between female workers, as high-pitched squeals could be heard from here and there. The female restrooms were a busy place during this time, as an unusual number of women flocked to it to fix their make-up and voice their hopes shamelessly to their neighbors of sharing a gaze with their hot future boss. Some decided to take an extra-long time in front of the mirror just so that other women wouldn't have a turn. The line of impatient females outside uncouthly fired their demands in the air, along the lines of 'Get out!' or something about the women's bladder. Those inside might choose to ignore it, figuring the unsatisfied would stomp their heels harder, eventually breaking it, or they sent back colorful replies of their own.

Men at this time can truly see the nature of women at its worst, although they were having their own games of fun, such as betting on the color of their boss's sports car for the day, or the brand of his watch. The way this was done? Imagine a bunch of men dressed in suits at their individual offices throughout the building, huddling in front of a computer. Each department stood as one vote, and if they won the bet, the money was split among them.

Unsurprisingly, group chats around the buildings were normal, so sometimes even employees of another company were allowed to join in a department, providing that they pooled in money. Some women see this as childish, while men have their own comebacks about the women's 'unwomanly' behavior themselves.

Seeing how it was almost time for their future boss's arrival, the women filed out of the restroom, taking care not to slip on the white-marbled floor. Their boss seemed to like marbled things. On the first floor- made of granite tiles- everyone stood in a perfectly linear line, although their heads were turned toward the glass panes, anticipating the arrival of their to-be boss. The limestone outside the building was conspicuously shiny, as if even the street-cleaners were anticipating his arrival. The clock striked 8:00 A.M., and no sports car, no limousine. No Hyuuga Neji.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

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**Chapter 3: Girls in Heels**

_Hyuuga Neji has never been more humiliated than at 7:51 A.M._

**6:59 A.M.**

Glad to be waking up naturally, his inner alarm brought him up a minute before his own alarm. At least this part of him was still working. The intricately covered, but underneath marble, end table next to his bed held none other than his new mails and cell phone, personally brought to him by the house butler. One particularly colorful envelope caught his eye; he already had his personal guesses of whom it belongs and the matter it was about. Without looking at it, he already felt pity for his usually sunny friend.

Deciding to set it aside, he picks up his silver-colored cell phone, containing only two new texts that he cared for. One from Lee himself, and the other from none other than 'Sasuke U' sent from the previous night. Deciding that it was probably easier for him to absorb Sasuke's text, he pressed 'View':

**Green and Pink, great. Mountaineering, pass this on to that idiot: "You have been officially recognized as the most pitiful man in Konoha Underground and above ground. Any comments? I won't buy you a plane ticket if that is what you are asking for. Face reality. Try Itachi, he is most amused by your predicament."**

**Don't call cell phone, Konoha S.O.S. only.**

**-Sasuke**

'Hn, unusually long message for once. Next,'

**OH Neji! Youth is great! I am getting married! As my CLOSEST non-related brother, be happy for me! You should know best who it is that I am pursuing, she is the most beautiful blossom in the world!**

**-Lee**

Shaking his head at all the drama he felt, he let out a deep sigh he had held in. Of course Hyuuga Neji knew exactly whom Lee's object of affection was, but he was the _tiniest _bit torn that two of his closest friends are head-over-heels for the same woman.

Not wanting to waste more time, he mentally thanked his butler for picking out his outfit already. In fifteen short minutes, he was ready to leave the main house. At the entrance, his sports car was usually picked by his butler. Today's lucky color was forest green, and much to the amusement of Neji, it reminded him yet again of his youthful friend. He also knew about the habits of his employees to bet on the color of his car when he actually went to work. Sometimes he wanted to just drive a pink car just for the look on their faces. He thought better of it, knowing that it would only add to the list of attacks he uncle had on him.

Extending a hand to retrieve his keys from the butler's outstretched hand, he walked across the limestone floor to his car, feeling that he wasn't up to acknowledging the existence of two other shiny black limos sandwiching his car. Bodyguards. Not that they would help much, except to block off mobs.

In ten minutes, he was already on the highway. Looking briefly to the right, he quickly glanced at the time, 7:32 A.M., before turning his eyes back on the road. He couldn't actually speed, not with two other vehicles keeping him in check. Neji saw the green sign dangling from above and momentarily smirks to himself before he takes his cue to change routes.

Ahead was a dark tunnel that lasted about 4 minutes, one without security cameras the last time he observed, and he always felt there was an insufficient amount of lighting, but the orange color of it reminded him of someone else, probably waking up around now. A minute into the tunnel, he noticed a white limousine parked at the side. As if it was waiting for them, it swished out diagonally, covering two lanes out of three, to block the path of the leading black limousine of Neji's bodyguards, causing a chain of screeching that echoed throughout the tunnel.

Immediately, a red convertible came at an insane speed, halting left of Neji's while causing an ear-clawing screech of its own. A woman wearing a ruby-colored hood at the passenger seat lifted her hands to reveal a hand-gun aimed directly at Neji, before she shouted, "HANDS UP! AND BODYGUARDS STAY OUT OF SIGHT!"

Seeing no choice but to comply, he slowly raised his hand, cursing himself for putting his gun in the glove compartment. The time he would take to remove his seatbelt and knock her out seemed disadvantages to him, and damn bodyguards. There were other cars that were swiftly going by, but most likely one had already called the police and recorded the license plate, not that it would help, as the unannounced visitors probably had a fake license.

The driver, also wearing a hood, unbuckled her seat belt, then got out a gun of her own, before pointing it at Neji. The woman from the passenger seat lowered her gun and opened the door, letting red heels drop first, before lifting herself up to show that she is wearing a red traditional Chinese dress with a large slit at the side.

_As if holding up guns didn't spell "mafia"_, Neji mentally snorted.

The woman walked over to Neji, not noticing that the clicking of her heels was bothering him, and squatted down at a safe distance from him. Then she looked up at him, to reveal soft brown eyes and dark brown hair which was tied up into a side bun. A few loose strands of hair fell down on her face, making Neji wonder if it wasn't bothersome. The woman spoke first in a playful voice.

"I come… in peace!"

Scoffing, Neji replied sarcastically while keeping an eye on the driver, "And I actually want to be here with my hands up! State your business."

"Hmm… stiff as the rumors go, Hyuuga Neji. I am actually here under the request of Haruno Sakura. 'Don't help Naruto' is what she said."

"…Is that all? You pulled this stunt only to tell me this?"

"Yup."

At this moment, Hyuuga Neji really wanted to bag her up and throw her into the sea. But before he could, she got up while patting the imaginary dust off her behind, before turning and clicking her heels once again. As soon as she got in, the driver drove off and the white limousine followed. Neji's bodyguards scrambled out before gathering around him and throwing questions of concern at him. He sent them one of the deadliest glares he could muster before they got the signal to resume on as if nothing happened.

Life was not so smooth, and Hyuuga Neji was stopped once again as cars with flashing red and blue lights came into the scene. A series of questions followed as a short chubby man came out of a car with chief written all over his face. He had dragged himself over to Neji and then launched his verbal bullets at him. The scene looked amazingly funny in that Neji stood towering over the poor man, so any sort of menace the chief had tried to emit was deemed ineffective.

What proved to please the chief was when he told Neji that he needed to visit the police station to give an official statement. Neji's face had completely darkened when such the news was given to him. Not only was he going to be late for the first time in his life, but he was also going to be at the POLICE station. Him, affiliated with the underground, to the police station. This would be a subject of talk for weeks on.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: Tenten didn't have a last name, so I gave her one after her Seiyuu (Voice actor).

**Disclaimer**:I do not own Naruto.

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**Chapter 4: More News than I Can Handle**

Hyuuga Neji has never been more humiliated than at 7:51 A.M.

He has never sat in a police stationeverin his life, well, not counting the Konoha Police Headquarters. This was an experience that he was sure to remember. The sole reason he had given was that he looked rich so they decided to rob him. This reason obviously didn't seem good enough for them to accept, and they had him now in the interrogation room.

Coming in the door was a man no more than fifty, and looked to be around forty. Even with his unshaved beard, he looked more intimidated than the to-be-interrogated. Neji had crossed his arm and leaned back, trying not to let the dimmed lighting bothered him. Neji used his gaze to scrutinize the older man's every movement, purposely to unnerve him. They weren't really going to do anything to him, that Neji knew. What actually bothered him was that he was covering up for those girls. He had a feeling he knew exactly which group they were from, the Tamura group. There were six famous and infamous clans which commanded attention not only in the underground world, but also in the financial realm. Two of the clans already belonged to Konoha, and the Tamura clan was one of neutrality, supposedly.

The Tamura clan was suggested to be the strongest, as all organizations have, to some degree, relied on the Tamura clan as their provider of weapons. Yes, the Tamuras specialize in arms trafficking, although they secretly manufactured their own weapons. The clan had an unbelievable amount of power even in the Council of Regulations, provided that they would not side with one organization or the other.

Seeing that the girls had the guts to point a gun at him, or even tried to break their pact of neutrality led him to the conclusion that they are from the main family. He has never met any women from the Tamura clan, but he had no doubt that it was only a matter of time before they met again.

Turning back to the other person at hand, Neji's eyes followed the man as he settled down, and the said poor man was trying to avoid eye contact by studying the table like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Neji was slightly entertained at the situation as he noted that they obviously didn't send him a trained interrogator. Shifting his attention back to the presence before him, he decided to break the silence.

"Speak, what do you need." It was not a question, but a demand rather.

The older man locked eye contact with Neji, and he tried his hardest not to break it before he spoke, "We only need an oral record of what actually happened. Try your best to remember all that your attackers had said." In reality, he was given the orders to squeeze as much information as possible from Neji. But how could he when the said man had a face more impassive than his own, and he was not even from the interrogation department. It was only that there was an unusual amount of interrogating that needed to be done in the actual department, and he became a substitute.

"This device here will hereby record everything that you are to say," and trying to tap into Neji's conscience, he brought out a bible from one of the drawers before he said, "Swear that you would say nothing but the truth."

Neji, without even batting an eyelash, stood to take his oath, "I s-" but was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.

'Great timing.'

Glancing at his cell phone, he could see that it was from none other than 'Naruto'.

Keeping Sasuke's message in mind, he decided to speak first, "Naruto, congratulations. I am hereby…. I am actually not in a position to help you right now. Sasuke went mountain climbing if that is what you are wondering about. Good luck."

It remained true that he was not in a situation to help him, but he was also taking Sakura's warning into mind. He was not afraid of Sakura, but in some way or other they were considered friends. Turning back to the situation at hand, he took the moment to sit himself down, before saying, "I am a very busy man, as you can see, we ought to do this quickly."

With that said, it did proceed quickly as Neji tried to give as much twisted truth as much as possible. The only thing on his mind, however, was trying to deal with his uncle.

9:36 A.M. AT HYUUGA CORP.

News has already spread far and wide, reaching every corner of the building to make sure no one is left out. Although on surface everyone was seemingly doing their work, on the screen in front of them was none other than their minimize-able chat messengers. Almost every line posted or sent has to do with one man and his situation:HYUUGA NEJI IS AT THE POLICE STATION!

There were exaggerated messages that were completely blown out of proportion, but there were mostly messages defending him. It was actually an all-out war between different buildings, with Hyuuga employees defending and outsiders attacking Hyuuga Neji. Most were so engrossed in the latest scandal that when their department chief came in it literally made their heart jumped.

"HYUUGA NEJI IS ARRIVING IN 5 MINUTES!"

At the news of this, women once again filed to the restrooms available on particular floors to occupy a space; the men pooling in money before assembling at their usual positions. On the first floor, employees once again took their position and took time to straighten themselves before the doormen turned around to signal the approaching cars in the distance. Their postures took a 180 as they became completely rigid, men taking their military stance while the women adopted their womanly demeanor, with their hands clasped perfectly in front of their abdomen.

Through the pure glass panels, if they had looked, they would see a black limousine smoothly coming to a stop before the other black limo followed sans green sports car following it. The doorman was utterly confused as to which limo Hyuuga Neji was in, but a man coming out from the passenger seat of the second car waved to dismiss him of his duty. After the man got out, he turned around to hold the door in place while the feet of the person that they were all waiting for emerged first. The extra shiny black leather shoes were a telltale sign of who it was that was coming out. Shoes meeting the floor, Neji emerged tall and elegant. As usual, he was sporting an all-black suit, with the exception of a white dress shirt inside. It looked like something out of the movies as he walked with the wind caressing his hair, sunglasses blocking his face. More importantly, he took confident and heavy steps that dictate his position, while not having a trace of his own emotions about the incident that was probably on everyone's mind right now.

It was a scene of awe especially when he goes through the revolving door, without ever having to push the doors himself. He was able to maneuver perfectly and was in sync when two bodyguards pushed and he just moved along, not lifting a single finger. Men at this time were preoccupied with the results of their bets while the women tried to hold a lasting glimpse of their boss. While his bodyguard pressed for the elevator, Neji noticed his cell phone ringing. Glancing at the caller ID, it was from Konoha's intelligence department. Wondering if it was about his stay at the police station, he picked it up with a tone of annoyance.

"What."

"At approximately eight A.M., Uchiha Sasuke had used Konoha's S.O.S. call."


	5. Chapter 5

**Usually within 7 hours, not including when I sleep, I would have another Chapter up, but it took me 11 hours to find my inspiration for this!**

**I realized my story might be confusing, because when my friend read it and she said she was lost in the first chapter!**

**Anyways, do enjoy! I personally had so much fun with this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

I recommend listening to the song "Breath" by B2ST.

**Chapter 5: I Love Her Eyes**

"_**Don't go back**__," he warned venomously, "What the f-"_

_That was the last thing I heard before the sound of an explosion came and the line was cut._

**Narrator**

He glanced around nervously before pulling his cap further down. The combined onslaught of the sheer number of people shuffling all around him and the nausea of the city pollution was slowly suffocating him. Most were probably going to work while he was the only one idly leaning against the glass tiles of the wall. Being at an open subway station seemed to be the perfect hiding place, and if perchance he had to get away, the platform directly from his position was one option. Naruto thought he blended in perfectly without looking suspicious. Needless to say, he was anything but mingling with the crowd. He was oblivious to the fact that the combination of a black hooded sweater and an orange cap literally drew attention to him, including the security cameras. Sticking out like a lost child was not a lesson taught in Konoha.

He was contemplating about his next move, hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to going back to Konoha Headquarters to figure out what was going on. His home was probably ransacked by now, and he hoped he took enough money in his pocket. In his haste, he left about everything there, even his gun and knives. Feeling his senses perk up, his mind told him to look across the other platform. Raising his head, he was able to see a girl who was in her school uniform directly in front of him exuding a most peculiar aura. She had looped her bag in one hand while holding a book, and her other hand rested on her other shoulder. Her queer eyes was what really caught his attention, it really stood out with its deep gray color, holding a depth he couldn't begin to decipher. It reminded him of clouds on a bad day and it really contrasted with his own deep blue eyes. He couldn't put his fingers on it, but she definitely reminded him of someone.

He had to say she was pretty irresistible with her fluffy brown hair and Snow-White skin. Then his gaze fell to her lush pink lips, as she bit it unconsciously, deeply focused on her book. Naruto watched as she raised a delicate finger to tuck her brown locks behind her ears, before placing it to her lips. Unable to keep her hand in one place, it seems, she dropped her hand before bringing it back up and began tugging at the bow of her uniform. Naruto had the sudden urge to just grab her hands to keep them steady. As if feeling his intent, she paused in her reading before lifting her head to the right. Naruto tensed completely, feeling his heart rate speed up. He hoped that she won't look in his direction, knowing that he would probably be given the permanent brand 'Pervert'.

Sensing nothing there, a frown settle on her pretty face as she lowers her head once again. Feeling relieved, Naruto felt his muscles began to relax. Nevertheless, he still kept his eye on her, never imagining the threats to his action. That was his mistake as the girl suddenly snapped her head to his direction. Her faced paled considerably, but she kept her grey orbs on him, as if aghast, before narrowing them accusingly. She concluded the impure motives of the shady man across of her on the other platform all on her own, believing that it was not coincidence he was looking at her. He was slightly upset that her beautiful eyes were used to threaten him. Furthermore, she never broke her glare at him, but instead decided to try to bore a hole into him. They couldn't really have proper eye contact with Naruto's cap in the way, and although he still stiffened greatly, he was resolute in not be the first one to look away.

While she continued to use her round attractive eyes to give death-threats, her hands wandered into her bag, only to come out later with a cell phone. He didn't know how she did it, but without even looking at her phone, she managed to dial a number. She started talking on it and after a brief conversation, she hanged up only to resume her glare attentively with even more force than before. Seconds, minutes passed by and she didn't even flinch when an announcement for the next train on his side popped up. They were starting to attract the attention of nearby riders and he desperately wanted to avoid that.

The rumbling of the platforms due to the approaching train grew stronger by the second, and the speed at which it was going created a strong gust of wind, resulting in women passengers trying to flatten their skirts and dresses if they were wearing one. Some others tried to hold their hair in place, not wanting to ruin their hours of effort in the morning. However, it didn't seem to bother the girl one bit although the navy-colored plaid skirt of her uniform was ridiculously short and her hair was flying up messily. When the train finally decide to arrive, Naruto immediately heaved out a deep breath the moment she was covered up.

'_She is unbelievable!' _he thought admiringly despite the situation. He laughs out loud briefly, ignoring the quirking of eyebrows, and resumed his former stance. The headstrong girl did not let him down as she remained where she was, her eyes still pointing daggers at him when the train had departed. Only now, she looked comical with strands of hair landing completely out of place as the wind died down. The announcement for the train on the opposite sign came, and he wondered about the girl's next moves. Suddenly, he felt a strong tapping on his left arm, and he cursed at the thought of being the first to look away.

The girl across the platform suddenly broke out into a girlish laugh, clutching her stomach as she bent over. Utterly confused, he didn't get to analyze her any longer as the arriving train cut her from his view. Taking this moment to give his attention to the one who disturbed him, he turned his head left. His eyes widen at seeing two older men wearing the Subway Safety uniforms, and was further astonished when they spoke.

"You have been reported for suspicious behavior, please cooperate as we try to understand the situation at hand."

"That… that girl!" was all that he managed to grit out before he quickly turned to her as the train left. She had left with it.

* * *

The moment you were all waiting for, I loved it. Hope you did too!

Will try to update by tomorrow afternoon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Woke up at 7 something, but I needed to get my mind going. Starting to type at 9:30 now.**

**It is probably safe to think that this is taking place in Japan.**

**I wonder if I should label this under drama, haha**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**NOTE! Amaya is actually a Japanese female first name, not last name, it means "Night Rain." (Hint Hint). I used it here as a last name, and let's not bother with the nitty-gritty details. In the story, I always list last names first.**

**An OC, her name is Kohaku.**

**Chapter 6: Amaya Rin**

_Looking up at him with her pale eyes that marked her as a Hyuuga, she felt unbelievably dejected at the prospect of failing. _

_The cold, relentless rain spoke what her Hyuuga self was unable to express, and deciding to gamble her chances, she choked out pitifully, "Please, let me stay."_

Former Hyuuga Hanabi, now Amaya Rin slowly opened her eyes to the bare ceiling of a small one bedroom apartment with a small porch attached to the bedroom. She brought her right arm up to her forehead and lay it there to shield the light coming from the porch. Not wanting to get up yet, she remained lying down for several more minutes before she moved her left hand to the cold and empty space beside her. She quickly snatched her hand back to rid herself of the foreign chill.

Deciding to check on the person on the other side of her, she lifted her right hand before smacking it down, expecting to touch empty space. However, a funny sound came out as her hand came into contact with soft skin. Surprise filled her face and she quickly retracted her hand before she slowly turned over, coming face to face with a woman she has grown to love.

"It was very nice of you to give me your personal wake up call," she said sarcastically while maintaining an amused tone.

Grinning sheepishly, she tried to change the subject by asking, "Where is Kohaku? We haven't completed the transfer for school yet."

The woman frowned, her voice shaking slightly, "She said she was going to visit… a friend."

Noticing her odd behavior, Hanabi knew she shouldn't inquire further. Instead, she chose to examine the woman lying next to her. The woman had beautiful amber eyes, completely opposite to the color of her bluish purple hair. Her hair color reminded her of Hinata, although her sister's was a bit darker. She no longer had a labret stud on her under lip; she wanted to present herself as serious mother. Hanabi herself had changed a lot, from a cold and reserved robot to a sensitive and satisfied girl. It was a difficult transition for her, especially to expressing her feelings.

Hearing the morning rustles from the other person, she started to get up too. Folding up her futon, she lifted the heavy load and walked to the closet to place it in. She didn't have to worry about picking out clothes either, since the only set of clothing that she had with her was her old school uniform. They came back to town two days ago for the first time in 5 years. It was rushed, like the day she left this town. She grimaced at the thought that just passed through her mind, and her old wound resurfaced briefly before she tucked it down again.

She decided to busy herself with cleaning while the other woman claimed the bathroom. When she reached the tiny kitchen space that was available, she noticed a note stuck on the refrigerator. Raising an elegant finger, she reached for the note:

_Morning mom, Rin, ^o^_

_Mom, I am going to Konoha Headquarters to see Dad, I don't know if he is there or not, but I want to try. Sorry for lying. Don't worry, my condition has gotten better over the years thanks to Rin!_

_And Rin, the fridge is empty! EMPTY! We also have no clothes! We wore the same thing for the last three days… counting our time on the plane. Dad left us each a cell phone. I placed it in your bag._

_Love, 3 Kohaku_

Hanabi smiled sadly at the note before she fully grasped what was written on the note. Her mind in shock, she released her clench on the note completely, letting it fall to the ground.

'…_Konoha Headquarters?'

* * *

For those who have read it right after I submit it, there was one obvious mistake that I made. I am deeply sorry for not editing. Hope you had a good laugh T^T_


	7. Chapter 7

**As an apology to the earlier chapter, I have decided to make a long**_**er**_** chapter. I was eating out this morning, but I was tapping away on my iTouch. **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 7: Mister, Mister, Don't Look Down on Me.**

_Hanabi smiled sadly at the note before she fully grasped what was written on the note. Her mind in shock, she released her clench on the note completely, letting it fall to the ground._

'…_Konoha Headquarters?'_

Her heart was trembling, she had to go. **Now**. To Konoha Headquarters. Placing the note back on the refrigerator, she wasted no time as she hurried to bathroom door, twisting the knob without a second thought about her manners. The woman inside was equally surprised, but she didn't question her. Grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste, she resorted to using the kitchen sink, leaving the bathroom to the first occupant. She didn't have to worry about changing, she was sleeping in her old school uniform to begin with. Before she left the house though, she grabbed her bag, placing it on the kitchen counter, and pulled out a small plastic container. She twisted one of the caps off, before dipping her finger in the solution, trying to pick up the small grey plastic. She lifted the plastic to her eye, and repeated the same process for her other eye. By the time she was done, her eyes looked a much deeper shade of gray than her usually pale, pupil-less eyes.

She had done this for years to avoid recognition even abroad. Initially she had to even dye her hair completely black, but over the course of five years where by now, everyone was certain she was dead, she didn't need to be as cautious anymore. Placing the plastic container back into her bag, she clumsily pulled the handle, dragging her bag behind her as she dashed out.

The woman emerged from the bathroom a moment later, she was actually waiting for Hanabi to leave. She took a hold of her new cell phone before making her first phone call to her husband.

**NEARING THE TRAIN STATION**

Her heart was throbbing irregularly. She thought she could feel it thump against her rib cage, she had never felt this way before. She didn't know how to describe it, was it agitation? What was it that made her heart ache? What was that tug that she had felt? She had the feeling that her head was on fire, despite the fact that it was quite windy outside. The city air was stuffy, much to her dislike and adding to her discomfort. All the way to the nearest subway station, she kept her hand over her heart. It was a new experience for her, she couldn't believe that her hand was slightly trembling. As much as she hated the foreign feeling, she begun to understand what is causing it.

Reaching the subway station, she went to the nearest ticket machine, hoping that her Japanese was enough to decipher the strange characters that she had not seen abroad, but have spoken within their family. A sense of pleasure and satisfaction surged through her as she realized she had managed to get to the paying stage. As she reached into her bag for the fee, she noticed something that did not belong to her in _her_ bag. She took it out before she make out that it was a book, with a title that caused her to flush greatly, _The Know-How's of Avoiding Men_. It was definitely Kohaku's book, no doubt about it.

Kohaku could be a bit of a klutz sometimes. Initially, when they first met, Hanabi twitched her eyebrows in annoyance every time Kohaku spoke. She actually hit her once for being too goddamn kind. Laughing tenderly to herself, she was amazed at how fond she grew of Kohaku while reminiscing at the memory from five years ago.

_5 YEARS AGO_

_With her patience at its end, she could no longer stand to watch as Kohaku begged her mother to buy some candy, although they were now completely without possessions even themselves. They did not even have weapons in a foreign land, and one trained from young to always carry a weapon with them would have definitely felt the insecurities and anxieties of being without a one. That was the case with Hanabi, she could not help but be restless and the tension was slowly creeping into her mind._

_They had escaped to some secluded village in the mountains, but after two weeks on being a shut-in, the children's mentality was failing them. They had ran over several hundred names for Hanabi's new identity. They had used an illegal passport for her when they snuck out of the country to this new isolated place. It was to avoid the whole organization of Konoha and to have Hanabi start a new life. It was not unusual for children in these backcountry areas not to have an identification._

_Today, due to a developing headache herself, Kohaku's mother decided to bring them to the nearest town just for a walk. They were under specific orders from Kohaku's dad not to leave the village at all. When they had walked into a strange new town, both children at either side of Kohaku's mother was told specifically not to wander off. The town had mostly mud buildings and dust filled the air, it made the town look exotic to the foreigners. _

_The heat in the atmosphere was excruciatingly hot, Hanabi almost wished she stayed back at their mud house. Kohaku had exclaimed to her mother, "Hanabi-chan wants to go back to the madhouse!" Those were the moments when Hanabi would slap her own forehead in exasperation._

_They stood out dramatically with their lighter skin color. The paupers on the street were a heartbreaking sight for young Kohaku, even Hanabi felt a bit of pity for them. Soon they reached the candy shop, it was a shabby shop really, with a singular dusty brown color on every candy. Hanabi started to doubt they were candy at all. But after the amber eye woman agreed to buying a bit of candy, Kohaku ran off while her mother was distracted with a man who spoke of strange men from a foreign country._

_Hanabi had decided to follow her after she failed to persuade her. Kohaku had walked back to the beggars and was passing out the candy she bought to them. An incredulous look filled their faces, and Hanabi knew they did not appreciate the little girl's thoughts at all. Neither did she, so she stomped over to Kohaku, giving her a hard slap before yelling at her, "Look at our own situation before you give out things! You are being an annoyance!" Kohaku remained shock for a little while, holding a hand to soothe the slap, before her eyes started watering. Shouting at someone for the first time in her life, her words remained clearly in Hanabi's mind, "You are so cold and mean! I hate you! I am going to call you, you…" She stopped sobbing for a little bit before yelling out, anger no longer in her voice, "… Rin! Ha! It's just like you!"_

Hanabi didn't mind keeping that name, she rather liked the fact that it could mean "dignified, severe, and cold."

Bringing herself back to the present, she paid for her train ticket while still holding onto Kohaku's book. She decided to take her mind off things by randomly flipping to a page, ending up on tip number 21 to 30. As she headed down the stairs leading to the platform, she stopped near the stairs, not too far, not too close. The book was surprisingly funny, although some of it made her want to twist her own head off. Suddenly, her dormant instincts told her that someone was giving off a strong intention towards her, whatever it was she had yet to figure out. She lifted her head and her first move was to look towards the stairs. There were a bunch of people walking about, but no one suspicious. She thought she might be paranoid and frowned at the thought of that.

Turning back to her book, she landed on tip number twenty-nine: If there is a suspicious man looking at you who refuses to look away even when you look at him, call for nearby help. If you are in a secluded area, ditch your high heels if you are wearing one and start running when you turn a corner.

Once again, she felt someone's eyes on her. This time she turned her head abruptly to the opposite train platform, and her eyes landed on someone who stood out like a sore thumb. He looked completely suspicious although he was casually leaning against the glass tile wall, with his hands crossed in front of him. She could only guess that it was a 'he' by his build and height. He was wearing an orange cap and a black hooded sweater, so she couldn't really see his face. She was disturbed by the man, and she narrowed her eyes to make herself look more dangerous. He didn't even bother to look another direction, and that got on Hanabi's nerves.

'_Is he challenging me? What insolence!_' she thought as she decided that it was time to test out tip number twenty-nine.

Without looking away- doing that would make her the loser- she reached into her bag. Feeling for her cell phone, she knew that she also needed the subway security number. That was when she noticed the signboard on the wall, right above the shifty man's head, "Call the following number to report lost packages: XXX-XXX-XXX".

'_Perfect._' Hanabi smiled mentally at the beginning success of tip number twenty-nine. She felt for the number keyboard on her phone, satisfied when she felt a small bump on the number '5'. Using '5' to mark her position, she started dialing off the number shown on the signboard, bring the phone to her ears when she was done.

"XXX Lost and Found. Are you reporting lost items?"

"No, sir, actually, I want to report someone suspicious." She tried to make herself as amicable as possible, believing that it would add to her innocence.

She explained to the man about her situation using some tear-jerking words and described the shadowy man, and he said they would verify situation before making their move. They really did use the security cameras, keeping an eye on the suspicious man that Hanabi had described.

When he didn't leave even when the train came, they confirmed their suspicions. Luckily for Hanabi, he also didn't leave for the previous several trains, as observed by a security guard that happened to also see that man as shady.

The security guards approached the suspicious man, and when he didn't look their way, Hanabi just couldn't hold her laughter in any longer. But her arriving train began to block her view, and it frustrated her. Without thinking, she ran onto the train, pushing through people to reach the other side of the glass panes to view the confrontment. She hadn't meant to get on, it was not her train at all. From her position, she still couldn't see his face, but from his posture, she knew he was on full alert to run. She was feeling a bit of concern for him, and only did the train move had she realized she was on the wrong train.

She supposed that it was retribution for getting the poor man in trouble. But she should have thanked him also, for distracting her and keeping her mind busy.

Longer than usual! Please don't try to search the book title, I just made it up. Don't take tip number 29 into mind either…


	8. Chapter 8

**Very cold here, snow to slippery slush.**

**Short. Mainly Naruto, I hope you like it.  
**

**Chapter 8: Thank God I Look Like My Dad**

**Namikaze Main House**

The messenger leaned down to whisper in the old man's ears, and he excused himself when he had done his job.

"They just found Naruto."

"Is he by himself?" an elder asked.

'_Assholes. The lot of them.'_

"Seeing how Neji is here, Sasuke is somewhere, then he must be alone."

"Then bring him back, our names are already tarnished more than necessary."

'_Say that to my face.'_

"Ahem, where exactly is Uchiha Sasuke?"

'Not _mountain climbing.'_

"Are you not a bit too lenient on him, Fugaku?"

"I have taken care of it, and I believe I could say the same to you, Hiashi."

'_Great, rub it in more, will you…'_

"Now, now. Whew, we definitely need some women in here."

"More_ women_? Have you forgotten why we are here in the first place, Jiraiya?"

"Eh, isn't it to give our sons and grandsons a lesson on how to court women?"

"Take this more seriously, Jiraiya. And Fugaku, stop provoking him."

'…'

* * *

**TRAIN STATION**

"_You have been reported for suspicious behavior, please cooperate as we try to understand the situation at hand."_

"_That… that girl!" was all that he managed to grit out before he quickly turned to her as the train left. She had left with it._

How dare the girl call the security on him? Not to mention she also left him! Well, he is actually glad for that; now they wouldn't even have proof to question him. Deciding it was now or never, he politely says, "I think you have a misunderstanding, Sir."

"Eh?" they quickly gave a knowing look at each other, questioning the man's sanity. One of them does a fake cough before he said smartly, "I am afraid we have proof. It is in your best interest to calmly cooperate with us."

Making his best effort to not just pummel the guy, he bites the corner of his lip, and then he took off his hood. Picking off his orange cap, he slowly revealed bright sun-blond hair that was slightly ruffled by the cap. His best feature was his clear azure eyes that were made to be explored. Mowing through his hair with his hand, he closed his eyes and gave out a defeated sigh. Furrowing his eyebrows, he reopened his eyes with a new force in them. It was blazing with a fire that radiated confidence and determination. It was as if he could penetrate the soul of those he looked at, and at this moment, his piercing eyes landed on the security guard. Pausing for effect, he crossed his arms in a hurt-like manner before he spit out bitterly, "Look at me and then tell me, do _I_ look anything like a _creep_?" He spoke with such anger on those two words that the security guards were slightly taken back. In fact, they didn't think he looked suspicious at all. He had a rather sparkly aura that was only seen in children.

This time, they nervously looked at each other, and then turned back apologetically, "I apologize, but we had seen you missed the past few trains. Someone from the other platform also reported-"

Cutting him off, Naruto abruptly say, "Do you _see_ the girl?" But he quickly gasp in horror as he realized his mistake.

Once again, the security guards looked to each other, and as they verify their suspicions, they turn back to Naruto, "I am completely sure we never mention anything about a _girl_."

'_Shit, Shit, Shit! Think, think quick!_' Naruto started looking nervous, but quickly regained his composure, and he tried again to prove his innocence, "It must be a girl right? They are always paranoid and stuff. Oh, _please_ don't tell me a man thought I was looking at him. And look at me, do you think I need to stoop so low?"

The security guard's conviction began to waver, and actually, the young man in front of them looked like he could get any women easily if he wanted to. There was a crowd forming around them that, really, consisted of mainly females. Just by looking at their faces, it looks like they are having the life of their time just by looking at him.

Tired and sick of being the bad guy, the security guards decided to wrap up their cases, cursing the girl who brought them so much trouble, "We apologize for taking up your time, and please, excuse us."

As they walked away, Naruto was relieved that they didn't stay any longer. If they had thought clearly, they would have realized that Naruto "knew" the girl was gone. On the other platform, there dozens of women. How did he know which one?

Taking the chance to leave before they thought it through, he squeezed through the crowd that was still around him. Feeling the numerous clutches of females who tried to cope a feel with him, he turned around, beamed a suggestive smile, and continued on his escape.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for the reviews. I will try to keep it interesting. ;)**

**Back to Hanabi.**

**Chapter 9: Dress-Up**

Her mind was once again back to Konoha. Having gotten off the train and waited for the right one, she once again got off at another station after a long thirty minute ride. The heavy, roaring bustling of the city assailed her sensitive ears. She wrinkled her nose in complaint as the smoke and contamination of city air plagued her nose. She dipped her body backwards, throwing her head up to glance at the tall edifices tumbling over her. The multicolor neon lights were a sign enough to tell her that she was in the right place: the red light districts. The morning sun was still high up in the sky, yet the streets were so crowded, already roaming with couples. The sight of arms slung over shoulders, hands placed above hips, and lips on ears nearly, just nearly, caused Hanabi to turn back. Lecherous men were already eyeing her, and she unconsciously pulled her skirt just a tiny bit lower.

Her heart, though, told her to move forward. So she did. Glancing around, she looked around until she located several shops. She easily maneuvered her way pass drunks and likely harassers until she landed herself in front of "Ru's Do's". The name was enough to make her frown in distaste, but she pushed the glass door anyways, ringing the bell that signaled an arriving or departing customer. The store looked as shabby as its name sounds. The walls were painted in rainbow-colored stripes, and Hanabi had to note that it was the kind of shop that Kohaku would go in. The floor tiles were made of street bricks, and it actually had a red that made her feel welcomed. This made her feel like Alice in Wonderland, but she wasn't blond.

Having had enough of the welcoming mismatched room, she proceeded to the counters, lifting one of the black wigs for inspection. She rather liked it, and black was a color for blending in. There were other, better, and namely more expensive, wigs, but once Hanabi liked something, she would remain loyal to it. So she gathered the black wig and placed it loudly over the check-out counter, successfully getting the attention of the cashier, who was sitting and reading a newspaper. The old man stood up, gently folded the paper, and greeted Hanabi at the counter, "Hello Miss, how are you today?"

Ignoring him, Hanabi shoves the wig further into the counter, guiding the man's attention to the wig.

The man eyed the wig before he picks it up to type the code in, and not looking up from his work, he says, "This is a b-"

"I know."

He remains quiet, but he gives an advice to Hanabi as she pays and leaves.

"I have seen many things in life, little girl. You can never truly hide yourself."

* * *

Hanabi walks into a public one-person bathroom, and closed the door swiftly behind her, making sure to lock the door. At the washing station, she lays out what she has bought from a plastic bag: the wig, bobby pins, a pair of plastic glasses without prescriptions, a roll of wrapping bandages, and a set of athletic clothes. She was slightly upset that she had to spend so much money, but didn't dwell on it any longer as she began her operation. Starting with her hair, she pulled it back tightly, attaching bobby pins so that her hair was as flat as can be. Then while still holding her hair with one hand, she places her other hand palm down on the back of her neck. She pressed her hair up tightly with an expertise that was unknown to her, and she stopped when there was a reasonable amount of space while maintaining the flatness. Letting go of her other hand that held her hair in a batch before, she used that hand now to clip the bobby pins on. As the bobby pins covered the flat space, she moved her hand up to put on more bobby pins. Poor Hanabi, she hasn't used wigs that much, so she didn't know there were such things call a wig cap for long hair. It fits perfectly over the head with a tightness that keeps the hair in place.

Having now clipped up all her hair, she reaches for the wig. She looked at the upside-down wig a bit more before dragging it over her head. Hanabi winced slightly as she fit the wig in place, and when she was done, she shook her head, letting her hair fall in all directions to look more natural. Then she moved her hand toward her bowtie, which was actually clipped on. She removed the gold pin that had her school logo and carefully placed it in her bag. Snapping the bowtie off was easy, and she moved on to unbuttoning her dress shirt and the side of her navy-blue plaid skirt. Letting it all fall to the floor, she grabs for the wrapping bandages after she unhooked her bra. She used it to wrap around her chest, and for once she was thankful for modest-size breasts. She knew she shouldn't do this; she was a growing girl, but she did it anyways. Having done that, she finishes by wearing her black sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Hanabi took a look at herself in the mirror, and giving herself a pat on the back, she had to say she did a pretty good job. She would have looked very much like a skinny pretty-boy if it weren't for her much-too-pale skin.

Wrapping up, she quickly put on her brown-rimmed glasses and stuffed her school uniform into the plastic bag she brought with her. It was weird to wear color contacts and glasses at the same time. Hanabi unlocked the door and looked back to make sure she didn't miss anything. Seeing nothing left behind, she turned again and headed out.

* * *

Next would also be Hanabi.


	10. Chapter 10

**Typing another chapter in the same day. Stopping when I drink up my 281 mL Starbucks Coffee. Took me more than 6 hours to drink half.**

**Chapter 5 is by far my favorite chapter, too. ^^ **

**But I also think this chapter is fairly interesting. ****J**

**I feel the action building up.**

**Chapter 10: Warm-Up**

_Wrapping up, she quickly put on her brown-rimmed glasses and stuffed her school uniform into the plastic bag she brought with her. It was weird to wear color contacts and glasses at the same time. Hanabi unlocked the door and looked back to make sure she didn't miss anything. Seeing nothing left behind, she turned again and headed out._

She needed a place to hide her bag. A park? Behind the toilet? In a public trash can? Right now it was ten-something, nearing eleven, so the trash must have been taken out. But even if she didn't have to worry about it getting taken away, she would have to worry about its smell. Being under trash for a few hours would make anything stink.

As she wandered in the streets of the red light district again, she passes by the fancy shopping districts, although still shady. Hanabi looked sideways into one of the shopping windows, and then she noticed a row of trendy mannequins on the wooden platform, displaying with it the latest bags and shoes. A sign says, "Display not for sale." Hanabi, being the sharp little girl she is, thought it was the perfect hiding place. What better option is there than hiding in plain sight?

There were two workers in the relatively large shop, counting the cashier. Three customers were inside and they busied themselves with them, probably trying to earn more commission. Hanabi steps in, and everybody turned to her. She pretends to shop by looking at the clothes. Some gave questioning looks as to why a pretty-boy was in there, was he perhaps shopping for his girlfriend? Or is he looking for clothes to cross-dress with. Either way, they decided that it was best to mind their own business. Hanabi, taking this chance, hurried to the wooden platform displaying the latest fashions. She quickly eyed the other presences in the room, and seeing as they are not looking, places her bag as one of the items on display.

Then, she walked off to another corner of the room, acting as if she wanted to buy something there. Hanabi was indeed looking at one of the cheapest items in the room. Lowly adjusting her voice, she tried to make her voice as coarse as possible. She motioned to one of the workers, calling her over, and she asked, "How much is this?" She knew the price.

"Oh, that is…" the worker picked up the dress that Hanabi was pointing at, "thirty-nine dollars, sir."

"Could you possibly wrap it up? I would come and pay for it later."

The woman peered down at the girlish boy in front of her, she wondered if he had money, "I am sorry, but you have to pay right away if you want to reserve it."

Hanabi mentally rolled her eyes, _'You wouldn't say that if it was someone else.'_ But she went for the I will come back later.

Stepping out, she inhaled deeply, thinking that it was much more effort than she thought was needed. No matter, she was halfway there… maybe. Now she had to get inside Konoha Headquarters. She went to a nearby trash dump, throwing the plastic bag containing her uniform in. She lost a pair of clothes, and although she minded, she had the bowtie clip as a memento.

Truthfully, if you knew the way and shortcuts, it was easy to bypass security to get into Konoha Headquarters. There were several spots where you could go to get underground, but she knew the way from five years ago. '_Five years, has it really been five years?_' It was a rhetorical question. Of course she knew how long she was gone for, she has been counting.

Hanabi's steps were steadily getting faster, she wanted to get there soon. She wasn't sure if her legs were truly showing her to the right direction. How did it go again? Straight, right turn, keep going, now left turn. She was now in a dark alley, and she felt relieved that the sun was out. Although the insufficient amount of lighting heightened her nerves, the cool shadows of the buildings slowly calmed her mind. When did Hyuuga Hanabi get nervous so easily? She was suppose to be an emotionless, cold-hearted doll. She surprises herself with how much she has changed sometimes.

Now she was in front of one of those manholes, what if someone was down there? It was also much too heavy for her to lift, but she knew another way. She walked on, and there was an increasing amount of ivy sucking on the brick walls of the buildings. The area was old, probably secluded. Turning the last corner, she came upon a dead end. The brick wall blocking the path was less than about twice Hanabi's height, and her height is around five feet four inches.

'_It's not so bad_,' Hanabi comforted. '_You can do it._'

She felt her hands, not moist enough. So she licked her own hands, remembering to store in her mind how it tasted. '_Salty._' As she licked her hands, she moved backwards a far distance. The key to getting across was the corner on the right and the bricks that stood out slightly. She needed to use the 90 degree angle created by the building and the 10 feet wall to her advantage. Feeling that her hands are moist enough, she prepared herself in running position. Then, she launched herself, running with all her might. She kicked right feet first on the brick building, using the momentum to attach her left feet a bit higher, careful to land both feet on bricks that stuck out more.

Both of her hands reached each side of the wall, and fingers pointed south as she used her palms to push. Her legs and hands were already beginning to feel numb. If it wasn't for the bumpy bricks and her leather shoes, she would have fell. Her leather shoes were picked out by the school with the full intention of it also acting as snow shoes, so that they wouldn't slip if there was ice. Placing all the tension in her hands, she moved her feet up one at a time, landing it on protruding bricks if possible. When her shoulders reach the height of the wall, she threw both arms over the wall, and she slowly dragged her body up by using her right feet to kick herself up. By the time she was sitting up at the brick wall, she was panting heavily and sweating over her whole body. The rush of thrill made the whole act worth it. She did have Hyuuga- cross that- Konoha blood in her after all.

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Whew, finally reached two digits. Hope the action made as much sense as I imagined it.


	11. Chapter 11

**My goal is to stop after 2K words.**

**Thanks for reviewing, glad you find it refreshing. ^^**

**Wow… the eye bags under my eyes are… er… **

**Chapter 11: Infiltration (Not)**

_By the time she was sitting up at the brick wall, she was panting heavily and sweating over her whole body. The rush of thrill made the whole act worth it. She did have Hyuuga- cross that- Konoha blood in her after all. _

Jumping off the ledge, Hanabi landed on the dry soil with a thump while her glasses flew off. She hoped that it hadn't break on her yet, and she bent down to pick it up, grossed out at the smudge on it. The location was now just plain dried out instead of dirty. It was a dull stretch of land, with a small brick storage house at the end of the path. It was just a wall's difference, but the space looked so ancient, showing obvious signs of being abandoned. High-rise buildings had surrounded the place, hiding it from prying eyes. Weeds have grown out although the ground was ridiculously dehydrated. It reminded her of the Secret Garden, but the other sounded much more alive and did not serve as an escape route to fugitives.

Hanabi marched until she was in front of the white wooden door of the small brick building. It was locked. She knew that, but she remained looking at it. It was a door that you would find to your bedroom, or inside the house, not as a front door. The white paint was eroding away, and as the white scaly peels fall off, Hanabi couldn't help but feel a bit gloomy. The white door seem like heaven's gate, allowing her to escape from that place. Yet at the same time, it closed the door to her heritage, to her relations. Not that there were many that she cared for, but as cold as she was, family was family.

Knocking these feeling away, she went to the side of the house. There were no distinctiveness to any individual bricks, but she knew where she had put it. Calculating her height from 5 years ago, she lowered herself until she was sure that her head was at the same height as before. Straight from her eye level, she found the brick she was looking for. It was loosely fit, and she removed it, revealing silver keys. She took the key back to the front, and placed it in where it belongs. Landing a hand on the knob and the other covering her face, she swung the door open and was welcomed by a wave of dust.

Hanabi coughed and was slightly distracted by how the dust scattered every time she coughed. Spider webs clung to the walls, and she was sure she could see tiny spiders. The floor creaked eerily as she walked the floor. The room was empty save for one bed that looked suited for jail. Strangely, there were no pillows, but the white sheets on top were folded neatly. You could see the rusty color of blood on it. It wasn't hers, but _his_. The sight of it caused her to sicken, and her stomach was beginning to feel tight. She turned her head away and started to pull the bed to the empty side of the room. As soon as she was done, she went back to the now-empty spot. She could tell where the bed was exactly by the thinner layer of dust. Kneeling down, she pulled one of the planks, revealing the metal handle of a hatch. She went to the opposite side and drew the hidden entryway up, and then walked back to other side.

The deafening sound of running water resonated below her. She sniffed in disgust as the putrid smell of sewage water filled her nose. A polypropylene ladder could be seen, and she slowly descended, bracing herself for the worst. Certainly that was the case as a thick blanket of waste and rot spanned the whole tunnel. The sewage was actually well enforced in lighting at some parts, while other areas reminded her of dangerous things lurking in the shadows. The mold from the dark brown flowing liquid crawled onto the ledges of the walking space. It was so bushy that it was honestly in a league of its own. The insides of Hanabi's stomach was turning inside out, while her head was pounding from the blasts of familiarity.

If she had to rate her condition from a one to ten, she would be at negative 8. The only thing that soothed her in the least was the rushing of running water. If she closed her eyes and ignored the smell, she could imagine the clashing sounds of a water fall. But she didn't want to take her chances by not looking and falling in.

She quickened her pace, completely mismatching the steady rhythm of dripping water from above. She heard voices. Then she started to run, and all she could hear was the increasing rush of waste water and her own steps. Her own steps sounded so much heavier than it actually was, and it was like she was announcing to the world where she was at. Finally, stopping in front of a large metal box, one would mistake it for a fuse box. It was labeled, "Warning, high voltage." She snatched the handle, pulling it quickly, and crawled in, while shutting the metal door behind her as lightly as possible. It was a rectangular abandoned pipeline, used by _his_ people. It was wide, but the height was low, so she could turn and sit, but couldn't stand. She moved as quickly as she could on her hands and knees, stopping when she heard the nearing sound of men's voice. She couldn't keep moving because as she crawl, it made clanging noises.

The echo of silent air was molding in her ears. She could hear her own breathing, and it was not calm, and her heart was not beating at 80 beats per minute. But she attributed that to having just ran, although the silence, the air, the metal, and the all-knowing knew it was something else. She had lived in tranquility for the past five years, and some of her abilities were no longer as it used to be, and she was not as confident as before.

She waited. At first, the piercing coldness of the surrounding metal burned her skin, made worse by her prior running. Waves of fresh, cool air around her was slowly purifying her mind and sense of smell. The constraining space boxing her though, was breaking her sense of security. She felt useless, that if the men opened the door this moment, she wouldn't be able to run. She heard voices talking outside, but it was muffled by the door. Hanabi was sure they walked away when she heard their dulling steps, and she sigh in relief. She continued crawling, once again continuing the booming sound. Then, the squeaking of the door opening caused her to turn. She wished she hadn't, because a wide, freaky pair of eyes stared back at her. She had to bite down a scream, and not losing any time, she turned and hurried her steps. The man crawled in himself while shouting something to another person.

This was the feeling; the feeling of not being able to do more. The man was actually slowly catching up, and she wished at least he would scream at her. But he didn't. All he did was look at Hanabi with the eyes of a ghost, and he rushed at her, slowly catching up. He looked and crawled as quick as a spider - a humongous man spider.

Hanabi, wanting to uplift the intensity, screamed out loud, "Sh- this is not even funny!"

She was not one to usually swear, but this was what Kohaku did one time when they were also being chased, and it helped to calm her nerves. She could see the end of the path, and the man would not catch up with her. She hurried, successfully widening the space between the man and herself. At last reaching the exit, she shoved the handle, trying to open it. It wouldn't open! She shoved it once more, and seeing how it's metal, she couldn't possibly break it down with her fragile body.

'_The man!_' He caught up. He grabbed onto her ankle mercilessly, and without a doubt, she was completely sure it was bruised. The other man was following up.

'_This is bad_.' She was not religious, but she prayed to God that someone - anyone - would open the damn door. As if hearing her plead, the door opened, revealing surprised, childlike amber eyes that showed the innocence of its owner.

'_That head of hers never seem to react when necessary._' The man was equally surprised by the turn of events, and taking this chance, Hanabi kicked the man's chin as hard as she could, sending his head up and smashing against the metal surface. With the temporarily immobile man seeing stars at the moment, she pushed the head covering the exit and climbed out.

"Rin!" finally coming back to earth, it seems, the girl moved herself to give space to Hanabi. "Rin" quickly grabbed the metal door behind her, slamming it, but a bit too late to reach safety. The hand blocking the door jammed it back, and the man immediately grabbed for Hanabi's wrist. She pulled back, and the man went with her. The other girl, upon hearing a voice behind the man, quickly slammed the exit and locked it. Hanabi was not having such as sweet time as the man tried to strangle her.

The girl fretted, and she rushed to the man, wresting his hands from Hanabi's bruising throat but to no avail. The pounding coming from the exit, Hanabi's pained face, and the man's wild eyes all short-circuited the girl's rationality. She hastily viewed her surroundings, and stopped when she saw what she needed. Rushing to grab the musty glass vase, and she treaded towards the man's hateful back with such a ferocity, such rage, that it would have surprised anyone who knew her. She slammed the vase at the man's head as hard as she could, and she did not even wince as the broken glass cut across her own face. It took awhile for the man to fall and lose consciousness, and Hanabi, at being released, claimed her own throat in comfort, coughing and not minding how raspy her voice was sounding.

The other girl was panting herself, and as both calmed down, they looked at the damage they done. They didn't have to worry about the man as his companion was probably on his way to report the intruders. Hanabi looked at the girl while still trying to relieve her throat. She had a frenzied look to her eyes, but she was slowly coming around as her amber eyes shut itself, and she took a deep breath.

Hanabi straightened herself, catching the girl's attention, before calling out her name. "Kohaku."

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Did you think it was ending? ^^

Continue… (^ 1845 words)

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"_Kohaku."_

The girl looked to her, and then she ran over to Hanabi, pulling her into an embrace, "Rin-chan! You okay?"

Hanabi pushed her away and then grabbed her wrists, quickly dragging her limply out of the room and ascending the narrow stairs. The nostalgic smell of metal and the sound of construction sites plunged into her nose and ears.

"It has been so long…" Hanabi whispered, and Kohaku nodded in understanding.

Konoha was a underground city of metal, despite it highly contrasting with its name. The "sky" of Konoha was filled with various arrangements of dangling large pipelines and vents. If you looked up to midair, there were all sorts of bridges overhead. It carried people from building to building, and the loud bustling underground resembled a normal populated city greatly.

It reminded Hanabi of those movies that Kohaku watches all the time, with the hidden base of the heroes waging in war. Except in this case, it was the base of an underground organization.

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Yay, I made it. Hope it was as exciting as it was for me.

Update: made some minor corrections


	12. Chapter 12

**Ah~ another day, another chapter.**

**Do enjoy. And I really have to thank TFFF for taking his/her time for reviewing!**

**I listened to the song, and it really matched! Especially the MV.**

**Chapter 12: My ex-Home**

_Konoha was an underground city of metal, despite it highly contrasting with its name. The "sky" of Konoha was filled with various arrangements of dangling large pipelines and vents. If you looked up to midair, there were all sorts of bridges overhead. It carried people from building to building, and the loud bustling underground resembled a normal populated city greatly._

_It reminded Hanabi of those movies that Kohaku watches all the time, with the hidden base of the heroes waging in war. Except in this case, it was the base of an underground organization._

No one lives down here. It's a place without houses or apartments, without _warmth_. The people, however, were bustling with excitement and certainty, knowing that this was the place where they belong. They did not live here, but they took jobs here. They hang out with acquaintances here. They meet their own kind here, who could understand where they are coming from.

They didn't hate this underground city without color, but it wasn't completely without color if you counted the signs and graffiti. One metal complex stood out beyond others, otherwise known as Konoha's Fire. It was the pride of the organization, where all of the important leaders meet. If someone excelled in a top mission, or done something of significance, their success would be proclaimed inside. What was truly interesting about the underground city was that small televisions were attached everywhere; even on the streets. It was used for special broadcasting, which was usually host by the engineering department.

Kohaku secretly took a side-glance at Hanabi, and her hands unconsciously went to her throat, clutching the neck scarf in security.

Hanabi intuitively knew that Kohaku was looking at her, and she tightened her grip on the said girl's wrist. They just came out of an abandoned veterinary clinic, and it belonged to a friend of Kohaku's lost dad. It was on the far corner of the city, which was probably why it's not filled in yet.

Couples were roaming along the streets even underground, but what was extremely different was that they all had some kind of bandages wrapped around them. It makes one wonder if they were in Halloween town instead. Having had lived here before, both girls knew that it was because of injuries, not because it was the latest fashion trend. Kohaku's minor cuts on her face did not look so strange, but they had to be careful of Konoha's underground police force. Mutual fights were always permitted, as long as it didn't disrupt their surroundings. However, if someone had assaulted Kohaku, then they would need to report it to prevent future cases of one-sided attacks.

Without asking, Kohaku knew why Hanabi was here as she was usually more empathetic than others. Hanabi didn't idle for long, and she headed to streets that she never had been to before, just so that she won't bump into people she know.

She walked while dragging a silent Kohaku, both taking in their home city. The shops hadn't look like it aged at all, probably due to renovations. They were so distracted that Hanabi almost collided with someone turning from the alleyway, but she turned her head in time. As if to make her life difficult, Hanabi came face-to-face with Konohamaru.

Konohamaru hadn't change all that much, still hanging that long blue scarf around his neck. At the sight of the boy, Kohaku touched her own _blue_ scarf in disgust, hating that they wore the same color. She stepped back a bit, jerking the attached Hanabi with her. Then the boy spoke, "Asshole, watch where you're going!"

It irked Hanabi to be spoken to like that, although it was her fault. A boy who was so rude to a lady, oh, okay, so Hanabi was a boy-in-disguise. _However_, it was still unforgivable. Hanabi raised her own hand in response before giving him a good-o-ear-ringing slap. As she removed her hand, with her face still scrunched with anger, a red mark appeared on Konohamaru's face. Did everyone have to lift their hand to their face every time they are slapped? Because that was what he did, with that momentarily in-shock look on his face. Then he finally clamped his mouth shut, frown on all corners, and shoot his angry eyes at Hanabi.

He shouted, attracting attention from other passer-by, "Only sissies like you would slap another man. No wonder you look so goddamn girly!"

The forming crowd was beginning chants of sorts, egging both to "Fight! Fight! Fight!" And they did. Konohamaru came forward and took the first swung, but Hanabi stepped back, hitting Kohaku in the face as she leaned back to dodge it. Eliciting an 'Ow' from Kohaku, she pulled herself forward, sending an unexpected right kick of her own to Konohamaru's waist, toppling him sideways.

He grounded out an 'Oof' but did not fell, but he staggered forward while clutching his waist with one hand. Hanabi took this moment to knee him in the gut, now knocking him down. He sat slumped over on his knees in pain, but he shook out his hand and grabbed Hanabi's injured ankle from before. Using one strong pull, she fell harshly on her behind and back. Though not fully finding his balance, he stood and went over to the fallen Hanabi and straddled her, sitting on her stomach.

He gave her a full-blown punch to the face, sending her brown-rimmed glasses flying. Hanabi, for a moment, was seeing things that she shouldn't see yet, but as her head came around; she shut her eyes and bites her teeth to prepare for another punch. She never got it, and after awhile, she slowly opened her eyes to stare up at the face of Konohamaru. There was a puzzled look on his face as he stared at his own fist that he had punched her with. '_Ww-hhat was that? His face! It was so s-s-oft!_ _What the hell? Does he do facials every morning?_'

Hanabi caught on to what was going through his mind, and while he was still in a state of shock, she pushed him off her. Kohaku wanted to interfere and help her, but at their location, it was not looked upon as lightly to jump in a fight. Usually it would result in the beating of the two. Hanabi was ready to give him the kick of his life, but she saw something - or rather, someone - from the other street through the alleyway. She wanted to go after the said someone, but Konohamaru grabbed her hand to bring her back into the fight. Things were not going well; she wanted to go, now! Facing Konohamaru, her own head met his in a hard way, and he eased his grip on her while clutching his own head in pain.

Leather shoes took off, leaving everyone to an abandoned show with one actor, or two if you counted Kohaku. Hanabi could scarcely hear Kohaku calling after her. Stubborn ears refused to take in anything but the own aching beat of her heart. Leaving the alleyway, she now walked the street where the other person was at earlier. The target was gone. Her hand was once again on her heart, grasping her own clothes to still the feeling. It was not too late to start chasing. She started running in a random direction, hoping that she could make it.

Eyes widen at the sight of purple hair, the owner was walking into an alleyway to cross to the other side of the streets. Hanabi sped up her steps, going into the dark, damp and unclean path. She could see purple hair rounding the corner and continued watching as she disappeared from sight. Both foot strained itself, moving with more strength than it had. The girl was almost out of the alley herself. Hurry!

Then she felt it. The strength of a hand unimaginable to her clasped harshly over her mouth. Another calloused hand wrapped itself around her, crushing her whole body to the owner's chest. It was a man, no doubt. She tried throwing her head backwards to see the face of the assailant, but the hand stilled her face, forcing her to face forward. A violent struggle ensued from her. She tried everything, stepping on his feet, kicking backwards, but in the end she exerted the most energy. Finally, he got tired of her thrashing about, and he pressed her against the wall, her face protected only because his hand was there. He waited until she calmed. Her back felt bruised from the contact, and the man further pushed his chest against her, bending down to bury his face on the nape of her neck. Steady breaths touched her skin, sending chills down her spine, and she could feel the shift of his nose ever so slightly.

Feeling that he had enough, he moved forward to her shoulders, sinking his lips on pale skin. The man twisted her face the other way so that she was turning away from his own, and he dragged the tip of his nose along the skin, until he reached her ears. Playfully, he blew softly into it, deriving a gasp from Hanabi. While he continued to tease her ears, he decided to speak.

"I missed you." It came from a clear, sweet and sugary, heart-breaking voice. It was deep and rushed at this moment, but Hanabi was sure that was because of the proximity of it all.

He continued, this time his mouth kissing into her hair, "You smell like…" He dramatically sniffed again, "…lavender..." She could feel the movement of his lips forming a frown, and he moved back to her neck to get a good sniff. Then he smirked against her skin while his voice hummed against her again, "… no… more like fresh winter."

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Whew, finally. Hope it wasn't too boring.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, good morning (here). Oh, well its 4 minutes until noon, but never mind.**

**Thanks for reading guys.**

**Thanks to TFFF for reviewing again. I did listen to the song, though its not my usual kind of music. But thanks anyways =)**

**I decided to let the Uchiha family have their Sharingan as their normal eyes instead, because it makes them look all the more awesome.**

**Chapter 13: I Know You Anywhere**

After the incident with the subway security guards, Naruto was just wandering around the city, with no particular destination in mind. What was on his mind was the news that he received that morning. It's a blow to anyone's mind, never mind his. How he wished to block out the sounds of the city; he seems to be the only miserable one. Was he truly miserable though? He couldn't quite pin-point what it was that made him so mad _earlier_ that morning. A strange calm now hung over him, how did that happen?

A face flashed by in his mind, and fierce, dusky eyes stared back. Eyes which he couldn't look away from, couldn't defeat. The level of passionate hate those eyes displayed was almost cute. Almost. If it wasn't that the hate was pointed towards him. He felt his guts boiling again; if there was anything that he hated more than the world, it was losing. Naruto paused in his steps and frowned, why was he thinking about her anyways? He knew the kind of woman that he preferred - certainly not a walking time bomb.

Okay, so the kind of women he _likes_ happen to differ from his ideal. Just look at - never mind. The air around him was growing heavier by the minute, and the surrounding crowd was slowly parting from the possible suicidal maniac. It was not the smartest idea to stop in the middle of the street, especially not when it makes you a practice target for long-range sniper rifles.

Naruto immediately whirled his head towards the source of danger. Squinting his eyes towards the blinding sun, he could make out the shadowy figures on top of the building. He had to praised them about the great choice of position, completely putting them in an advantage. The bright sun clearly shone out the outlines of the snipers - sniper, actually. There were two standing figures, and his eyes widened at the recognition of the two figures. One of the two seems to be standing with his arms crossed, while his long pony-tail was blown by the wind, a dead give-away that it was none other than Uchiha Itachi. The identification of the other was even easier. Who else owns a dog almost as large as himself? Now the question was why they were pointing a deadly weapon - holy crap, was that Shino? - at him, or at his feet at least.

He didn't have time to think about it as he saw Itachi raised his hand, signal for firing. Was he really going to shoot at his brother's riv- best friend in the middle of the city with hundreds of innocent people rushing about in broad daylight? Confusion filled his face, but Naruto decided that he needed to make a break for it first. He began racing like there was no tomorrow, and when he looked back, they left their spot.

Now he understood why Kiba was there, and you can practically NEVER escape if he was there. Not that Naruto wasn't going to try, so he decided to run even if he couldn't win. Why? Because he was Naruto. And mostly because he definitely didn't feel like _losing_ two times a day.

'_Ugh._' That word left a bitter taste in his mind. He decided if he _ever _come across the girl again, he was going to give her hell. She seems like the stiff and rigid kind of person, the kind that could be riled up easily. It reminded him of when he was younger, when he used to be manipulated easily… Is it just him, or every single thing reminded him of someone with gray eyes that he barely knew for ten minutes?

'_This is ridiculous.' _Naruto stopped in his track to recover his breath and to take in his surroundings. The streets were not as populated as before, and by the majority of the crowd's dress, he was in a high-class district.

'_Where am I? Better question, where are those bas-_' he immediately got his answer when he felt something - something sharp and pointy that is made of metal - jabbing him lightly from behind.

"Don't move. I prefer to keep things clean, if you don't mind." Naruto didn't take the warning to mind, and instead he let himself drop forward, propping himself up with his hands. He quickly throw himself over and sent a fast kick to the man's hand, and the knife flew off, landing not far off as it slid across the flooring. It took awhile for the object to register in the crowds mind, and when they did, terrified screams filled the streets. However, instead of scramming for their life, most of them were still standing there in horror.

To save trouble, someone familiar from within the crowd shouted, "What are you doing? RUN! I'll call the police!" That sentence seem to have sent the flock scattering in all directions, leaving four upright men, one man lying awkwardly on the floor, and a man's best friend. Only one man did Naruto not recognize, a bluish scaly man who reminded him of a shark. He had a muscular build and was incomparably tall.

Someone else was walking towards Naruto, and he had to bow his head back to look up at the face of him. Amused red eyes met self-concious blue.

"How long are you going to lie there?"

"When you leave."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I will lie here for the rest of my life." was what Naruto said, but he really preferred not to.

The other men were walking over and closing in on Naruto, and staring him down. Naruto had the urge to close his eyes, but he didn't feel like losing another staring contest.

"Can we chop him in pieces and bring him back?" the large shark-man said, revealing extra white and pointy teeth.

'_At least he makes a good shade…_' Naruto mentally laughed at his own joke, slightly ignoring the situation at hand.

"Or we can have Akamaru drag him back, not that his image can get any _worse_."

"Shut it dog-breath!"

Kiba was about to give a comeback of his own, but an outstretched hand stopped him.

Everyone turned to Itachi, thinking that he had something to say, but he continued staring in silence at Naruto. Then he merely stated, "I am giving you a choice number three. Which do you prefer?"

The shark guy did a weird laugh of his own before sharing the joke, "Sasuke preferred it the hard way and he ended up with broken ribs."

Suddenly, Naruto decided that he had enough of the filthy floor, and he stood up while the other men were eyeing him cautiously.

Itachi took his action as an answer to his question, and he put up his hand. Immediately, the screeching of tires could be heard and the next thing they saw was a white van in the streets. The men "guided" Naruto to the van, and they took off.

* * *

The last time he has been back to Konoha Headquarters was a month ago. More importantly, he didn't have his Chapter 4 draft yet! He was going to get an earful. Naruto sweat dropped at the thought of that.

The streets of the underground city seemed to unusually noisy today. The five men turned towards the source of disturbance. He seems to be getting a lot of surprises today. It was Konohamaru having a brat's fight with someone else. Naruto wanted to watch how his "underling" has grown.

"Let's get closer." It was a suggestion, but he started moving without them. As he got closer, he could see the back of a scrawny dark hair boy standing in front of Konohamaru, and the latter was clutching the side of his waist. Naruto frowned, '_Is he losing_?'

He crossed his arms and continued watching, and he saw the other boy kneeing Konohamaru in the stomach. Naruto was slightly getting upset at Konohamaru's situation. Who was the other boy to beat his almost real little brother?

It seems Konohamaru was not completely losing as he pulled the other boy's ankle, causing him to fall. Soon enough, he was straddling him. What Naruto saw next was a merciless punch to the other boy's face. He uncrossed his arms and stood up straight. It was brief, but he saw it. Those intense, fiery, lovely deep gray eyes that spoke depths of itself. The eyes belonging to a pale girl he had yet to give his payback. A girl who deserves the worst punishment for calling security on him.

No matter that she was in disguise, all that matter was that he knew it was _her_. How could he not? That pale skin, that delicate body, and those hypnotizing eyes. She should be put in jail for trying to _seduce_ him. Yes, blame the girl. Blue never left the girl before him. He followed her every movement, not fully processing what she was doing.

His mind is going out of whack. Only did he come back to earth when she bumped her head, hard, against Konohamaru's. Then she turned and left. '_Where was she going_?' He seems to be losing his feet too, because he ran after her, ignoring calls after him. He didn't exactly know why he was following her. Naruto is slightly worried about his sanity. Was he a stalker now? He stopped when she paused in the middle of the street, turning her head, as if looking for someone.

'_Why?_' Naruto took this time to think over his own actions. He must have reached a conclusion, seeing how his face lit up.

'_I am going give her her punishment._' He smirked, '_I am going to make her regret meeting me._'

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Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

Hello all, I know it had been awhile since I updated.

I have been very busy, and since it is nearing summer, my schedule won't be free anytime soon.

However, I hope to thank everyone for their dedication to this story.

I actually wrote this in January but I never had the chance to upload it.

So here it is.

carlitos1025 - As to why I picked Hanabi over Hinata, I remember the first time I seen Hanabi, which was during the Chuunin arc. She stayed in my mind since and I felt that she had a lot of potential to be a good character. I also felt that there aren't many stories dedicated to her, so I wanted to add to the list. :)

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**Chapter 14: "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"**

_He continued, this time his mouth kissing into her hair, "You smell like…" He dramatically sniffed again, "…lavender..." She could feel the movement of his lips forming a frown, and he moved back to her neck to get a good sniff. Then he smirked against her skin while his voice hummed against her again, "… no… more like fresh winter."_

"He really got it handed to him this time." An uncouth laugh escaped the man.

Rising from the depths of unconsciousness, Naruto could recognize the owner of that voice anywhere. '_Jiraiya?_'

He was in complete darkness, but he could feel warmth all around him. In fact, he felt _too much_ heat, and it was suffocating him. Naruto groaned and rolled over, kicking off the heavy, irritating blanket and noting how hard whatever he was lying on felt. A rush of cool air briefly eased his discomfort, and he was starting to drift away until another voice broke in.

"We haven't got all day. Neji, wake him up." Naruto mentally twitched his eyebrow at the hateful voice. He would give up his left arm to just hurl a knife at him. '_It must be a dream._' He would much rather run around naked than be in the same room with Hiashi, and Naruto would make sure of it. At least he wasn't with him alone… Was he having an audience while he was sleeping?

Better question: why was he sleeping in the first place? He never belonged in the thinking department, and his head seem to hurt when he tried to think about it, so he decided to leave the thought for a better day. The world never seems to go his way though.

He felt someone shaking him by the shoulder and his neck was starting to feel like if would be cut off. He grabbed the hand and fling it off, but it came back more persistently than ever. He tried rolling over to the other side, shutting his eyes tightly and hoping whoever it was would go away. To his contentment, they did leave him alone. For a minute.

Then he felt something dangerously gliding over his leg, but he seems to be rescued by a voice that said he had a better idea. Naruto waited, and then he felt it. Someone was pulling his leg hair, and painfully slow at that! He immediately jolted upright, forcing his eyes open despite his psychological protests.

"What the hell!" He pulled his leg closer to himself, trying to nurse the stinging spot. He glanced up, throwing darts with his eyes at… He paused in his actions, because the scene before him currently required immediate attention. It was amazingly scary and he didn't know what to make of it. What should he do when there are more than ten pairs of eyes surrounding him and most of them are people he just absolutely loath? Should he be more surprised as to how all of them actually fit in the tiny space?

"Glad of you to join us." It was a male voice and a face that Naruto didn't recognize. Judging from the sarcastic tone and the haughty attitude, the man must be from the Council of Regulations. No one from outside of Konoha Organization would talk that way to Naruto, because he was the _only_ successor of the main family in Konoha.

Turning his eyes to the man, Naruto cautioned him by gazing at him with an un-fazed look. The man twitched the corners his mouth up ever so slightly as if he is only amused and nothing else. It was something that unnerved Naruto, but he didn't show it. He wanted to look cool and breezy for once.

Clearly seeing an ongoing battle of trying-impassiveness, Jiraiya wanted to leave them be and was internally cheering for Naruto to show the guy some of the genetically imbued Konoha-awesomeness.

However, he knew it was not a time for entertainment. "Ahem, now, now _boys_. We should get down to business." Pause. Tick-tick. Finally, all eyes turned to him. A broad smile graced his face, '_Now that's more like it._'

"Let's begin."

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hope to update soon~


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Suck-It-Up**

"May we begin to even ask, why, just why, is it that we found you half dead in a dirty old alley?"

"I don't know." Really, truth was his only option. He didn't remember anything other than a loathsome green envelope and a pink card.

Deciding that the memory would come back sooner or later, he surveyed his surroundings. White walls, white ceiling, white sheets, stiff bed... yup, all the markings of a hospital. '_God, I hope I am not at where I think I am at._'

But there was no mistake about it, he recognized the scenery through the window anywhere. He had visited the place enough, if not injured, then for _her_. A rising anger burned inside him and he started gritting his teeth, and it was not unnoticed by the observers in the room.

They were about to ask another question, but was disturbed by a knock at the door. It was followed by an awfully familiar voice. Naruto looked dumbly with wide eyes towards the door, and Neji, being considerate of him, nudged his pitiful friend to bring him back to earth.

Naruto looked up listlessly, as if still not comprehending the full situation. However, at the sound of further knocks, his alerts went off and he started panicking. Ignoring the pain rushing throughout his body when he moved, he quickly got up and he scanned the room for places to hide.

Jiraiya did not like seeing his adopted grandson acting like a wimp, and he thought it was about time for Naruto to live like a member of Namikaze. "Stop looking like a fool. What would your father do in a situation like this? You should know."

Not one for drama, Hiashi added, "One of the reasons we are here is for your incompetence in courting a mere girl. We will come back later, and by then I hope you will have dealt with this as any member of Konoha would."

One by one the important members started filing out, leaving Naruto to sink in his own dilemma. With the door open, he could see that as they left, someone was standing to the side of the door. Once again, a strong sense of vexation was bubbling inside of him. It was even more so as the pink-haired woman walked over, though not without a sense of uneasiness.

"Um, hi Naruto. Didn't think the next time we meet, it would be here again."

It was an amazing thing really. Prior to the green invitation, everything she had said sounded like words from a saint. On different occasions, she would be a goddess, his Aphrodite or Helen of Troy. Everything she said was music or the next antibiotic. Now, the only feelings her words could bring was scorn and hell. She was the rebirth of Apate, who lives to fill him with false hope and lies.

He should have shut his mouth and continued to leave her distressed. She was not worthy of his attention any longer, but no, he had to know why. "Why did you pick him?"

Her face told him that she was not understanding his question.

"You should have known I loved you. I intended to marry you."

A guilty look strike her face, and she hurries to explain, "No, yours was just a puppy love. It was-"

"No, _liar._ You said you loved me too."

"Naruto..." she advanced towards him. "I... I... just don't see you that way."

He looked at her incredulously, and he closed the distance between them. Staring down at her, he spat out bitterly, "Bullshit! You are nothing but a fucking cheat. You fill me with sweet lies, and now you had enough. Is that it?"

"No! I-"

"_Five_ fucking years. And you goddamn call that puppy love. You just never cease to impress me."

She looked on the brink of tears, yet he did not feel a bit of sympathy. She reached up her hand and placed her familiar fingers on his cheek, "I am sorry. I did know. You were giving me a lot of attention that I haven't had before and I took advantage of it. But, it is true I can't see you that way. I am so sorry. I have Lee now." Tears fell from her face, but this time there would not be a hand from him to wipe it away.

Naruto softened at the words, and remembering Jiraiya's advice, he thought of his father. He clasped his own hand on top of hers and he softened his tone, "Let's stop this. I can't forgive you that easily. I can't wish you happiness from the bottom of my heart. I don't even want to see your face right now." He pulled her hand from his face, but he did not raise his voice, "But I will accept your decision. I can let you go. I might even go to your wedding, if not for you, then for Lee. On one condition."

She looked at him, green eyes bright with hope. He stared back at her, blue eyes betraying nothing but a show of anger and internal turmoil.

"Apologize to my mom's grave. For all the times you went with me and making her empty promises. That is the least you can do for me."

Her eyes left his face, and hanging her head in shame, she sobbed out a brief thank you and a definite yes.


	16. Chapter 16

I am glad this story is interesting to you.

Thank you for reviewing!

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**Chapter 16: Third-Loss**

Although he was sure that he would rather not face Sakura, but he felt that these people – cross that – robots were much too heartless. As they had promised, they were back.

Naruto's mind was in chaos and yet, judging from the subtle changes on their faces – such as the 2 mm upward twitch of the corner of Hiashi's lips – they enjoyed seeing him like this. The man from the Council of Regulations particularly annoyed Naruto; he was once again donning that amused know-it-all smirk.

Then there was Jiraiya himself who was smiling to one of the members. And sensing that Naruto was staring, he turned and twisted his mouth into a perverted clown-like grin.

There were a bit less people now. In Naruto's current state, however, he suffocated from the power that these men seem to emit while he was in his own weakened state. It felt like being nude in front of a national televised broadcast while the viewers jeered and whistled at you, and there was nothing you can do except hide the little bits you can.

"I hope whatever that took place here ended well." Damn Council member.

"Naruto is a member of Konoha, I am doubtless he would give us nothing less than excellence." Was Hiashi defending him or was he being sarcastic? Naruto believed the latter.

"Now now. That is not why we are here." Turning to the heroine, Jiraiya's easygoing face did an 180, settling with a solemn look. "Do you remember what happened to you? I had a report from Itachi that you chased after someone and when he found you... you were unconscious in the alley."

Naruto tried recalling the moment but ended up clutching his throbbing head in agony. '_I was chasing someone... who?_' At the mention of chasing _someone_, the memories flooded slowly flooded back to him. Sasuke... train station... gray eyes... snipers... Konohamaru... the smell of winter.

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_He continued, this time his mouth kissing into her hair, "You smell like…" He dramatically sniffed again, "…lavender..." She could feel the movement of his lips forming a frown, and he moved back to her neck to get a good sniff. Then he smirked against her skin while his voice hummed against her again, "… no… more like fresh winter."_

"Leh ghol, yhu Af-hul!" With Naruto's hand still clasped tightly around her mouth, it's a wonder that her muffled words still sounded insulting.

Pressing his body even more firmly on her back, she let out an 'omph' as she was squished towards the wall. "What was that? Something about an UFO? I knew you were short, but I didn't think your mind was also four." Suddenly he was recalling his height when he was thirteen. Yes, he was hypocrite, but she didn't have to know that.

"You brought me so much trouble..." It seems she was saying a 'Serves you right.' The girl must have known that he is the "pervert" from the train station.

"But it looks like Lady Luck is on my side..." No comment from her.

"Don't worry, I only ever pay back in full plus interest." A bit of squirming.

He leaned closer to her ears before whispering fiercely, "I think you would make a great gift for my sensei's dog." He was only kidding, but she seem to be uncomfortable with that thought. With all the thrashing about that she hoped would make him leave, he suddenly had an idea.

"I'll give you one chance." The girl halted her movements and listened intently at a possibly life-saving proposal.

"I'll let you go at the count of three. You can have a 10 second head start to run." The girl nodded.

Naruto smirked against her hair, then he whispered hotly, "Confident you can run away from me, huh?" Straightening himself, he backed away from the wall, pulling the girl with him. He turned the both of them so that they faced the the streets.

"Ready?" She nodded. "One... Two... Three!" At the loosening of his grip, the girl ran furiously without even looking back. Turning out of the alley, she could hear a wild laugh – though the voice was pleasant to the ears – and she dared not look back.

Naruto, calming down from the laugh, took on a determined stance to begin running. He didn't know how he had not noticed at all, but right behind him was so great an aura of power that it was hard to miss. But he turned too late, and the only thing he saw was a flash of scarlet. Then next thing he saw was a pitch of darkness as the attacker covered his eyes and kneed him in the stomach. Naruto doubled over and his thoughts momentarily ran to Konohamaru. 'This man is definitely a professional in combat.'

The last thing he felt was a deafening blow delivered to the back of his neck. As he was losing consciousness, he heard a familiar voice addressing the attacker as "Dad!" That voice, a soothing, soft and sweet voice. The one who answered the phone.

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"So that was how it is..." Jiraiya had a pensive look.

Naruto had told them little of what actually happened. He was twisting the facts about the grayed-eye girl, or boy in this case. He told them that he was curious as to why the boy ran off in a fight against Konohamaru, so he followed him; and then he was attacked. Naruto didn't know why he was defending her, but he had a feeling that these men would take drastic measures to find the girl.

Thinking of the girl, in the end Lady Luck was on her side. Naruto was sure that he would win the race anytime of the day. '_Great, third loss._'

What the man from the Council said next broke him out of his reverie, "Actually, we have a mission for you relating to the possible identity of the attacker."

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I hope this was a good read, might be busy for awhile. I'll try to get another chapter in the next week or so.


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